Rivers: Factional PDP members hold rally against Wike, Obuah

Some groups, bound to attend the rally organised by the Rivers mainstream coalition, were on Thursday allegedly attacked by unknown assailants.

The faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State had held a Unity rally at the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt. The rally organised by a group, the Rivers mainstream coalition, is a group opposed to the emergence of the former Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike as the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2015.

However, Leader of one of the affiliate groups, the I See You Group, Chizi Nyeomasili told DailyPost that some members of his group from Ecthe and Aluu were allegedly attacked by members of the Grassroot Development Initiative, GDI.

Chizi said some of his members were shot, which left about five people lying injured in an undisclosed hospital.

“Firstly in Etche, Elele, Igwurita, in Aluu and then in Eleme some of our members who were coming to this rally were waylaid by members of the GDI.

“They used knives on them and as I talk with you, five of them have been hospitalised.

“They vandalised the vehicles and took the moneys that were there for mobilization,” he said.

He also said the group would not relent in its effort to ensure that PDP presented a governorship candidate that was not from the Ikwerre ethnic group.

The Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers state had in a statement signed by its Secretary, Ibibia Walter disociated themselves from the rally, stressing that it was organised by the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC in the state.

DailyPost reports that the event was predominatly graced by governorship aspirants from the kalabari region of Rivers State.

Some respondents who spoke with our reporter said the PDP did not belong to only one individual.

The convener of the rally, who is a former Commissioner for Education in Rivers state, Prof. Israel Owate said the intention of the coalition was to stop oppression and imposition of a particular ethnic group on Rivers people.